Guyana’s DPP Chambers budget cut by GYD$74 million

Last Updated on Thursday, 7 January 2016, 20:36 by Denis Chabrol

Government used its one seat majority to erase GYD$74 million from the proposed budget of the Director of Public Prosecutions Chambers, reducing the allocation for 2016 to GYD$160 million.

Reacting to People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) front-bencher , Anil Nandlall’s assertions that budget cut amounted to a violation of the law and the constitution, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said the law never contemplated the National Assembly being made merely a rubber stamp for budgets submitted.

“Otherwise this assembly will be made impotent, it can’t say nothing.It is no point having this National Assembly,” said Ramjattan. He reasoned that bringing the estimates to the National Assembly allowed for it to be reduced. “It was never in the contemplation of the constitution that we are going to accept what she recommends.

In the end, the DPP’s Chambers got GYD$160,000,090, down from GYD$234,924,000.

Ramjattan said that once the National Assembly approves the monies, the Finance Minister could block their release to the DPP’s Chambers.

Former Attorney General, Nandlall accused government of using its majority in the House to defeat the letter, policy and spirit of the laws that the APNU and AFC had passed when they were in opposition. He said the government was violating the independence of the Constitutional bodies because they should be financed as a direct charge on the Consolidated Fund.

“It is paper independence, it is a sham, it is an act in cosmetology,” he said.